Delhi HC to examine scrapping of answersheets re-evaluation by CBSE

The CBSE's decision last year to scrap re-evaluation is not only being challenged across the country by students, but the rationale behind it would also be examined by the Delhi High Court which recently said the Board ought not have done away with the policy.

Referring to recent news reports of totalling errors by thew CBSE being brought out subsequent to the re-verification of marks, the high court had said errors in evaluation were also possible. (PTI)

The CBSE’s decision last year to scrap re-evaluation is not only being challenged across the country by students, but the rationale behind it would also be examined by the Delhi High Court which recently said the Board ought not have done away with the policy. The Delhi High Court has remarked that the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) examiners would also make mistakes or errors in totalling of marks and evaluation as was recently claimed in a news report. While the CBSE said the news report was sensationalising the issue, the Board has admitted that there was 0.021 per cent error in its evaluation of answer sheets of the 10 lakh students, who gave the class XII exams, which according to the high court meant that roughly the careers of 2,100 children would be at stake.

Referring to recent news reports of totalling errors by thew CBSE being brought out subsequent to the re-verification of marks, the high court had said errors in evaluation were also possible. In the wake of several petitions being moved by students, one even from Saudi Arabia, the high court has now called for the Board’s governing body and the examination committee’s minutes of meeting that led to the decision to scrap the re- evaluation policy. The court said it would go through the minutes of the meeting “to ascertain the rationale behind the decision”. It also asked the Board to bring its marking scheme for this year’s exams.

Majority of the petitions that are before the court are by students who have scored extremely well in their exams running up to the Boards in which they have scored poorly or much below their expectations. Another student, Shruti Gupta, who has claimed to have topped in three of her five Humanities stream subjects in her school has now moved the high court challenging the scrapping of the re-evaluation policy. The student, who has managed to get a copy of her answer sheet of the Political Science exam, has alleged that she has been awarded zero marks in several questions and less marks in others, even though her answers are in consonance with the marking scheme of the Board and correct as per the NCERT textbook.

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In her plea, filed through advocate Gaurav Pathak, she has said that with the Delhi University cut-offs expected to be out any day and there being no clarity regarding her marks, she would not be able to apply to her preferred colleges. Just like the other students who have moved the Delhi High Court, she too has sought parity with the 150 students of Odisha whose class XII exam papers were directed by the Orissa High Court to be re-evaluated.

The Orissa HC order had come after the CBSE’s lawyer there had submitted that the re-evaluation policy was still in existence. However, before the Delhi High Court another CBSE lawyer said the statement made before the Orissa HC was incorrect and the Board is going to appeal against the order directing re- evaluation of the answer sheets. Thereafter, the Board told the Delhi High Court that it has mentioned its appeal before the Orissa HC which is likely to hear it soon.